darkSpyro

Hey Activision---I get the allure of keeping it all a surprise and all, keeping us foaming collectors at your beck and call....but for everyone's safety---I compel that you initiate SOME SORT of communication plan to your customers about variants. I shouldn't have to wait for a random comment on a message board to verify authenticity of such items. Scammers are going to evolve to meet the demand if you don't.

What say you guys? Did the recent purple variants hit you the wrong way?

I guess for me, I would just want some sort of listing of variants that are going to come out for each game. Not necessarily know when they are going to come out (to keep everyone out on the hunt which is most certainly my favorite part) but just that they're coming would be enough for me. I've seen so many people get scammed out of serious cash because of scalpers creating their own customs and passing them off as variants and quite frankly I'm not willing to buy any of the specials online for that very reason.

All in all, just tell me what to expect and what to be on the lookout for when I go on my Skylander hunts and I would be a happy camper.

That would be one way to handle it. I suspect giving it all away at the beginning of a series would take away some element of surprise. My minimum requirements is to at least communicate it WHEN IT GETS RELEASED, and to have AN OFFICIAL REGISTRY OF VARIANTS to prevent all of the scams we see on eBay and to give us more ability to get such abusive listings removed.

Also, given they did a HORRID job of variants on SSA, they should also release information on how to determine authenticity of these items, if possible.

I think the idea of variants are "Hey, this looks cool, it's worth buying at retail." - not "Hey, let's spend $500 on eBay for one." So, if you see a variant at retail, buy it.

Quote: UncleBob

I think the idea of variants are "Hey, this looks cool, it's worth buying at retail." - not "Hey, let's spend $500 on eBay for one." So, if you see a variant at retail, buy it.

I won't argue with that, unfortunately 95% of those who want them have to resort to eBay...and as such would be good to know by the company what constitutes for a legitimate product.

eBay sells don't matter to Activision. If anything, they harm Activision. Why should they do *anything* that supports eBay reselling?

It's not supporting eBay selling so far as protecting consumers from purchasing nefarious products. Another way to state this is---they communicate the main characters in the game; why not the chase stuff too? This isn't rocket science. Well, not to me anyway.

Basically he wants ppl to know if said gold so and so is real or someone painting one. It would be good to know a list of variants etc.

If you see it in a store (or purchase it first-hand from an authorized sales partner online), there's about a 99.99% chance it's real. And all Activision cares about is these sales.

If you get taken on eBay, then the less you walk away with is "don't buy from eBay". Which is what Activision wants anyway (i.e.: you to not buy from eBay).

It's why I am out of the chase variant game for good. It's not my fault I can't find them at stores, so I don't think I need to pay for that by spending hundreds to have a figure that registers as "Special" and hangs on my wall.

My collection can speak for itself without a huge investment in a handful of figures on my wall. Shame on me for ever being that stupid. Lesson learned. I'd rather invest that 1 grand plus on the quantity of Skylanders (ie displaying all 256 Swaplanders), then have a few figures on my wall in a bout to try and feel like my collection is cool.

I'd rather take my family on a vacation, or spend it on all the excellent games coming this year, like Swap Force, Mario 3D World, Dragon's Crown, Tales of Xillia, Pokemon X & Y, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Wonderful 101, and whatever else crosses my path.

If ActiBob ever decides to make these easier to find, to the point employees don't feel the need to unpack them in the back, then maybe I can invest some time in hunting them. Until that time, though, I'd rather not buy variants that won't get me anywhere in life, for hundreds of dollars.

A chase variant is practically a guaranteed sale.
Look at Boomer, he shelfwarmed hardcore. But if one was silver he'd be bought immediately. BUT - they could even double their "guaranteed sales" and it would still have little impact on the desire to purchase them.

I feel that the core problem with chase variants is their rarity. They definitely do not need to be one in every 50 boxes or whatever the number is! If they were one per box, even one in five boxes - they would still be somewhat rare but common enough to deter some resellers.

They do not have control over the price, but they do control their rarity. With how many collectors/families that want those and how few are out there, it's natural for the prices to be high. I'm sure Activision is well aware of this, but they haven't fixed the problem. If they were TOO common, the average consumer might pick the normal character instead leaving them all to shelfwarm which may result in lost sales, but they could easily find a number that's more balanced.
It's a problem when the most possible way to get a differently-colored $10 toy that is sold in stores (compared to an exclusive event like E3/toy fair) is to pay as much as you would for a high quality collectible statue made in America.
Example: http://windstoneeditions.com/p...-dragon-rainbow Windstone obviously is not a toy, but you get what I mean.

It smacked me in the face. Who knew that these would be so.. so.. RARE??
Apparently, less than 500 of the S2 Purples exist.
I thought it was Employee Prism Break and then I had all the variants, but now? About $900 for the Purples Iif I can't find them, and another $260 for Prism Break.


Why so limited?

I would totally buy the 20 chase variants that are missing from our collection if they were available at retail price. Heck, I'd pay double the retail price. I've given up all the stops at stores to look for them. Not worth all the time spent driving.

$900 for the Purples that is insanity on a new level...

I forgot about the toy fair variants. They are missing out on a lot of money from me. They should just slap a big "Second Run" graphic on the box and re-release them in quantity. Then the collectors stay happy, and we get our full set.

I'm siding with GhostRoaster here.

I think the "chase" variants are ridiculous.

Inb4 "you're just jealous; you're just mad" nitwit comments.

Whether Activision knows they're encouraging scalping or not ... whether they care if they're encouraging scalping or not ... all of that is irrelevant in my opinion. Flatly, they are a business, and the goal of a business is to make money. There are a lot of factors that go into that, but one of the most important is to make customers happy. Frankly, I don't think production of extremely rare variants makes most customers happy. It leads to a lot of frustration, disappointment, and, in some more extreme cases, guilt, anxiety, and even paranoia.

The Skylanders franchise is cemented as a one of the most popular and most profitable brands/lines of toys now, and for the foreseeable future. Super rare variants does nothing to enhance that reputation. If anything, it distracts from that reputation. I met a mother of a 9-year-old boy recently, and she told me she was looking for some rarer Skylanders for his upcoming 10th birthday. Being a Skylanders aficionado, I engaged her in conversation, and asked if she was looking for some of the rarer Skylanders, which could make a big "splash" as a birthday gift. She said "yes" and I told her that I knew where she might acquire some rare characters, such as Molten Hot Dog and Blue Bash. She scoffed ... literally, aloud ... and told me that she "already had those" and that she was seeking "only the really rare stuff", such as pearl/glitter Hot Head or white "flocked" Stump Smash.

I was disgusted with her attitude. We're talking about a 9-year-old boy ... and she's saying that "only" a chase variant would make a worthwhile gift for her child. And we wonder, as a society, why our kids grow up with a sense of entitlement and lack of appreciation for possessions.

That said, the ONLY way to really stop Activision from producing whatever the hell they want to produce, sadly, is to stop buying Skylanders. We can complain, petition, etc. all we want ... and perhaps we should, for symbolic purposes ... but it really won't make a damned bit of difference.

Perhaps the most important lesson to learn from this "blurple" variants fiasco/debate (other than the lesson to not be a douchebag Skylanders snob like the lady I described above) ... is the lesson that ya'll need to be realistic about your collections. It's a shallow, impractical ... and perhaps unreasonable ... goal to acquire a "complete" collection of Skylanders toys, with a comprehensive checklist including every single different color variant and packaging variant ever created. It's far better, perhaps, to accept that your collection is "complete" when YOU decide that it is complete ... rather than allowing Activision to dictate "completeness" by producing an unreasonably small amount of certain variants. Think about it .... with this upcoming Swap Force series, there's going to be at least 60 ... possibly 70 or 80 ... different new characters coming out during 2013 and 2014, in single packs, triple packs, and (if the rumors are to be believed) new double-packs, too. Do you REALLY want to hold yourself accountable for acquiring ALL of those? If the answer to that question is "yes" ... then you probably need to step back and get some perspective. We all need passions and hobbies .... but like anything else in life ... moderation is healthy, and excess is unhealthy.

Long story, short: if you have a "jackpot!!" moment by finding a "chase" variant in a store, then enjoy it ... relish the moment. But if you're stressing about not being able to find a "chase" variant, and you're weighing the "pros and cons" of spending hundreds of dollars for one on Ebay/Amazon ... then stop. Just stop. Think about at least two dozen other things that you could spend a few hundred dollars on before making a rash decision.

I really, REALLY hope they cool out with the variants for Swap Force., maybe one or two variations, not three or four.
It just screws collectors of their money.


I saw a guy at Walmart claiming he had sold a Glitter Hot Head for $300, you know what I said?
"Cool story, bro."

He then proceeded to clean out the display of Wave 6.1 figures.

Quote: BahamutBreaker

Long story, short: if you have a "jackpot!!" moment by finding a "chase" variant in a store, then enjoy it ... relish the moment. But if you're stressing about not being able to find a "chase" variant, and you're weighing the "pros and cons" of spending hundreds of dollars for one on Ebay/Amazon ... then stop. Just stop. Think about at least two dozen other things that you could spend a few hundred dollars on before making a rash decision.

This.

There's a reason that Activision doesn't put out a "collect them all!" list of chase variants. It's because they don't expect you to collect them all. That simple.

I like the option someone previously suggested about a collectors edition. Honestly, we like the chase chase variants. But it's too hard to find them, I hate the cost, and it gets frustrating. That being said-we wanted to collect the entire collection and they are part of it. I don't think we will do that for swap force.

I dont hunt for variants. If I saw one in store, I would definetly get it. But to go outta my way to hunt for something that probably wont even be there? No thank you...

Quote: hardcoreignitor

I dont hunt for variants. If I saw one in store, I would definetly get it. But to go outta my way to hunt for something that probably wont even be there? No thank you...

you would know if you made friends with the walmart stock boy and he let you see stock in the back......

Quote: shelly9871

I like the option someone previously suggested about a collectors edition. Honestly, we like the chase chase variants. But it's too hard to find them, I hate the cost, and it gets frustrating. That being said-we wanted to collect the entire collection and they are part of it. I don't think we will do that for swap force.

So, what happens with the super-hard-core fans that collect all the different packages and such?

They'd have to hunt down the super-limited singles, the potential rare three-packs, *and* buy these "collector's edition" packs...

I like the idea, but I'm not sure how much it solves. Besides, look at your local Walmart and see how many GitD Sonic Booms there are. The vast majority of folks only care about the rare ones simply because they're rare. If they were made common, they'd warm the shelves.

Quote: UncleBob

If you see it in a store (or purchase it first-hand from an authorized sales partner online), there's about a 99.99% chance it's real. And all Activision cares about is these sales.

If you get taken on eBay, then the less you walk away with is "don't buy from eBay". Which is what Activision wants anyway (i.e.: you to not buy from eBay).

Quote: UncleBob

Quote: BahamutBreaker

Long story, short: if you have a "jackpot!!" moment by finding a "chase" variant in a store, then enjoy it ... relish the moment. But if you're stressing about not being able to find a "chase" variant, and you're weighing the "pros and cons" of spending hundreds of dollars for one on Ebay/Amazon ... then stop. Just stop. Think about at least two dozen other things that you could spend a few hundred dollars on before making a rash decision.

This.

There's a reason that Activision doesn't put out a "collect them all!" list of chase variants. It's because they don't expect you to collect them all. That simple.

So, they DO WANT you to buy ALL OF the regular guys (since they include the poster in the starter pack), but not the variants (because they want you not to know of its existence and further deception by a free open market)...hmmm....do you have a quote from them on that? I'm suggesting a bit of corporate responsibility and a modicum of respect to the community who, by all accounts, must buy them outside of retail because of limited availability AND simply want to know if the product is legit. The logic is flawed; divide by zero bud. This is the third time now, so don't bother responding with the same retort. We'll just have to agree to disagree here.

When I started Giants, I knew I had a long haul (to quote the last section of Autogyro Adventure) to bring it home with everything. Now being done, this last set of variants literally dropped out of nowhere. I'll complete what I started but I can guarantee now they've set the bar of stupidity high enough I've just been slapped out of doing this again for Swap Force. I'll not only not collect variants but I now doubt I'll get all of the main characters (reposes specifically)--and frankly the new designs aren't hitting the spot.

I thank Activision for going overboard and shake some perspective in me. It just might be a revolution this time.

This is what I wish for: A Willy Wonker Approach.

I go to the store and buy an eyebrawl. Inside there is the card or even the keycode. If it's say gold you won a special eyebrawl. Heck, they can even charge S/H if needed like the giants sidekicks. Why do this, because these variants stand out and that is why ppl are buying them to sell. I'm pretty sure employees or scalper selling the toy notice off the bat that eruptor is red, this white one must be rare or zook is green why is this one rock colored.

Now some even after that may hit ebay, but I think more of the item will go into the hand of the fans who want the figures to begin with instead of some scalper who just sells stuff and may or may not even play skylanders. Now i know there is a legal thing here about prizes and such, so let ppl enter once a month online or by mail for a free code/card with a chance to win. Again I'm not a lawyer so someone else can clear that up

If you guys want a game that's fun and takes more then 5 hours to beat try terraria. A great game, only costs $15, and takes about 75 hours to get bored of.

^I am in fact investigating Indie games. Maybe I need a break from these big productions of nothingness.

GhostRoaster: Do you have a quote from Activision that they want you to buy all of the uber-rare variants? You're assuming it's there, without anything to back it up.

Slayer: I, too, would like to see them do them as prizes - register "Figure X" online, get a chance to win Special Edition Figure X.

Sadly, as you mentioned, doing it this way brings in all kinds of legal issues, since it's now a "sweepstakes". It's cheaper and easier for them to just do it this way. Additionally, if the rare figures were shipped out as prizes to people who open/play with the toys, there's a much greater chance these people (generally, kids) will want to *keep* their rare figures. Which means, as you said, a slight few *might* hit eBay. You think the resell prices on these chase figures are high now... wait until even fewer of them pop up for resale.

That's what folks don't understand. If scalpers ceased to exist tomorrow, the chances of you finding a chase variant in-store is *still* next to nothing. I've said before, I've opened probably around 200 boxes of Skylanders across three different retail chains and I've never lucked into one. At least with scalpers, you have the *chance* to buy one.

Quote: GhostRoaster

^I am in fact investigating Indie games. Maybe I need a break from these big productions of nothingness.

Yeah, it was a game made in 2011 that i played from release date until april 2012, and just got it for xbox a few weeks ago. A major update is about to come out, and it's gonna double the content. I suggest giving it a shot, it's a very addicting game.

Quote: UncleBob

GhostRoaster: Do you have a quote from Activision that they want you to buy all of the uber-rare variants? You're assuming it's there, without anything to back it up.

of course I do--they manufactured it for resale. I don't think they're giving it away. Now communicate it. You're tearing off in other directions, not me.

They made them, doesn't mean they expect anyone to go out and buy every single one. Activision makes 12 or so different versions of Call of Duty each year - I don't think they really expect anyone to go out and buy one of each version.

Sure, but I'm talking about communicating to the consumer what they are producing---not trying to understand neither the seller nor the buyer's ultimate intent. Who in their right mind makes something and doesn't make the information known? It's really as simple as that.

It happens quite often. That's why they're "chase" variants. Happens *quite* often in the comic industry. More related to Skylanders - check out the Hot Wheels collecting community. They release all kinds of stuff and no one knows until it starts hitting the shelves.

Exclusives are great, chase pack-ins are horrible. If you find one, it's awesome. If you have to shell out hundreds of dollars to get one, that's not fun. The cool thing about all of these figures is that they're different from the regular run production versions. Everyone on here would probably love to have a purple Eye Brawl and a good many would pay above retail to get it, but secondary market prices? Only a select few I'd wager.

The worst thing about it, TFB doesn't get any extra money from eBay sales. The collector's get pissed off because they have to drop 3 bills to get it. And at the end of the day the only person happy is the scalper. This is fundamentally wrong on every level. The concept of chase pack-ins is interesting at best, but the way it lends itself to toy aisle corruption is disheartening. There's got to be a better way to make new and interesting variations of figures while still keeping the spirit of collecting intact.

I'd love it if they made a collector's club where they offered an alt deco variant or the like. Sort of like the alter egos they put out the first of the month for Lost Islands. Every month they could get some money and every month collector's could have a new item to drool over. Everyone's happy but the scalpers.

-Grishnaar

As someone who has never tried to collect anything before, this game has taught me a lot. I never knew that scalpers existed outside of sporting events and concerts. I had no idea so many people kept toys/games mint in the box. I had never heard of "chase variants" that were specifically released for collectors. Being such a noob sparked a lot of hunting that I now consider a huge waste of time. As much as I'd like to have them, I now consider them to be not intended for us as we open and play with all of them anyway. In fact, we will only be buying the figures we think look the best for Swap Force. No more "Catch Them All" for this family.

Quote: Grishnaar

I'd love it if they made a collector's club where they offered an alt deco variant or the like. Sort of like the alter egos they put out the first of the month for Lost Islands. Every month they could get some money and every month collector's could have a new item to drool over. Everyone's happy but the scalpers.

Well, the "scalpers" would just sign up for a dozen fan club accounts, wait a few months until the exclusive figure is no longer being offered, then sell them.

But seriously, I *love* this idea.

$12/month for a full year (Maybe a discount or an exclusive bonus figure if you pay the year in advance) nets you one special exclusive mailed to your door each month... maybe some bonus stickers, game tips, ads for new figures/games... I like.

Just to add another take on this, has anyone else noted that the chase variants look LAME. Seriously, I am all for collecting a full set, and I have even collected the in-game variants, and I will still be doing this with swap force. However since I first heard of chase variants, and looked up some photos of blue bash, I thought to myself, who would want this figure it looks stupid.

Even before I understood the chase concept, as this is my first foray into collectors toys, I saw WERDS and thought it looked completely lame. There was no detail, no shading, no character, which is one of the things that initialy was appealing about the figures to my kid, and myself as well. While out of town on a business trip , my son got birthday money and went and bought S1 drill sergeant instead of WERDS because "the other one looks like a gummy bear and the trolls would eat it."

I get the avid collector nature some people have. A close friend of mine has the 4th largest Star Wars collection in the state of Colorado, but these sorts of things have always made me shake my head and wonder what could be done with this time, space, and resource other than Star Wars obsessing.

I like to collect a full set like anyone else, but the amount of time and money going into some of the collections I see, and the borderline violent behavior invoked by rabid desire to complete everything goes beyond hobby collecting and veers into neurotic obsession. I saw this all to well when I played MAGIC: the gathering as my room mate at the time would buy four cases of cards a shot when a new release would arrive, then drop hundreds of dollars on a single card, only to never use it in a deck, even if he could have won a tourny by doing so. He just had to have it and keep it mint for "The Collection" which filled a 10' x 10' storage shed

Last thing I have to say about it is this. There are way more important things in life, than being able to show the world that I have EVERYTHING SKYLANDERS HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!! The chase figures look lame anyways, and if that's your thing more power to you. But to blame ActiBobVisions for doing what every other collectible toy company does from what I gather, may only be percieved by them and others as pouting and tantrum throwing. The only way to get them to stop doing it and pay attention is for masses of people to stop buying skylanders. Judging from the chatter I hear from my kid and his friends, this isn't happening anytime soon.

Quote: UncleBob

Quote: Grishnaar

I'd love it if they made a collector's club where they offered an alt deco variant or the like. Sort of like the alter egos they put out the first of the month for Lost Islands. Every month they could get some money and every month collector's could have a new item to drool over. Everyone's happy but the scalpers.

Well, the "scalpers" would just sign up for a dozen fan club accounts, wait a few months until the exclusive figure is no longer being offered, then sell them.

But seriously, I *love* this idea.

$12/month for a full year (Maybe a discount or an exclusive bonus figure if you pay the year in advance) nets you one special exclusive mailed to your door each month... maybe some bonus stickers, game tips, ads for new figures/games... I like.

If they can't communicate the current barrage of sludge, this would be a great plan, because I know where it came from as coming from the official source. And it would be treated like a paid subscription.

Quote: Grishnaar

Exclusives are great, chase pack-ins are horrible. If you find one, it's awesome. If you have to shell out hundreds of dollars to get one, that's not fun. The cool thing about all of these figures is that they're different from the regular run production versions. Everyone on here would probably love to have a purple Eye Brawl and a good many would pay above retail to get it, but secondary market prices? Only a select few I'd wager.

The worst thing about it, TFB doesn't get any extra money from eBay sales. The collector's get pissed off because they have to drop 3 bills to get it. And at the end of the day the only person happy is the scalper. This is fundamentally wrong on every level. The concept of chase pack-ins is interesting at best, but the way it lends itself to toy aisle corruption is disheartening. There's got to be a better way to make new and interesting variations of figures while still keeping the spirit of collecting intact.

I'd love it if they made a collector's club where they offered an alt deco variant or the like. Sort of like the alter egos they put out the first of the month for Lost Islands. Every month they could get some money and every month collector's could have a new item to drool over. Everyone's happy but the scalpers.

-Grishnaar

Quote: Skylandscaper

As someone who has never tried to collect anything before, this game has taught me a lot. I never knew that scalpers existed outside of sporting events and concerts. I had no idea so many people kept toys/games mint in the box. I had never heard of "chase variants" that were specifically released for collectors. Being such a noob sparked a lot of hunting that I now consider a huge waste of time. As much as I'd like to have them, I now consider them to be not intended for us as we open and play with all of them anyway. In fact, we will only be buying the figures we think look the best for Swap Force. No more "Catch Them All" for this family.

Best two posts in this thread, by far, in my opinion. Well said, on both accounts.

Exactly there meant to be rare so you're lucky if you find one

Quote: UncleBob

It happens quite often. That's why they're "chase" variants. Happens *quite* often in the comic industry. More related to Skylanders - check out the Hot Wheels collecting community. They release all kinds of stuff and no one knows until it starts hitting the shelves.

Wow. I knew Hot Wheels collecting was crazy, but after I made this post, I thought I'd look into it a little more.

"Super Treasure Hunts" started in 2013. Super-rare cars that are packaged exactly the same as the regular edition. Car has some differences (different paint job, rubber vs. plastic wheels, etc.) and has a tiny logo printed on it. You know what you're looking for when you've found it, because Mattel releases *no* information about them beforehand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2t2prQ7a6Q

I say we protest Acti and take hostages.

The only variants I hunt for are the ones that are actually different in the game (legendary's, dark spyros, etc...). If I see a special variant like a glow in the dark or something, ill pick it up but otherwise I wont get it.

Quote: UncleBob

Quote: UncleBob

It happens quite often. That's why they're "chase" variants. Happens *quite* often in the comic industry. More related to Skylanders - check out the Hot Wheels collecting community. They release all kinds of stuff and no one knows until it starts hitting the shelves.

Wow. I knew Hot Wheels collecting was crazy, but after I made this post, I thought I'd look into it a little more.

"Super Treasure Hunts" started in 2013. Super-rare cars that are packaged exactly the same as the regular edition. Car has some differences (different paint job, rubber vs. plastic wheels, etc.) and has a tiny logo printed on it. You know what you're looking for when you've found it, because Mattel releases *no* information about them beforehand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2t2prQ7a6Q

Hot Wheels guys are a whole other level of insane. When I would make daily runs for Star Wars stuff, they'd be there at the store when the doors opened religiously. Most of them seemed to be middle-aged and up and mostly retired so they have plenty of time to hit the stores early each day. There wasn't a day that I saw them that I didn't thank the stars we collected different things because I couldn't keep up with them.

Treasure Hunts have been around a while, this is the first I've heard of Super Treasure Hunts. I remember the local Toys'R'Us stores would let the Hot Wheels guys buy sealed cases right out of the back. They would buy 3 or 4 cases, take them to their car in the parking lot and pull out any first editions or Treasure Hunts and then come right back into the store to return the rest. Another shining example of why chase variant pack-ins are a bad idea.

-Grishnaar

Well i only got the chase ones I thought were cool. I got hothead thou i may resell it cause idk if i want it that badly. I love hotdog so i got the e3 one. Got clear whamshall cause he's my fav skylander and i loved the clear look. Also got the flocked tree rex (white and fuzzy) cause i liked how they looked on him and cause I love snow I might get a granite zook at some point cause he looks cool, but dont care much for whirlwinds cause i like polar better. Def getting a violet eyebrawl cause i love the look, thou if pumpkin ends up true i may pass on it for that. Still debating lighting rods and wrecking balls.


Thou at this point I also have spent enough on skylanders so may take a break and save up for swap force and MMPR 20th dragonzord/dragon dagger

I do like glow in dark stuff, but i don't think they are worth 100 plus.

Quote: UncleBob

Quote: UncleBob

It happens quite often. That's why they're "chase" variants. Happens *quite* often in the comic industry. More related to Skylanders - check out the Hot Wheels collecting community. They release all kinds of stuff and no one knows until it starts hitting the shelves.

Wow. I knew Hot Wheels collecting was crazy, but after I made this post, I thought I'd look into it a little more.

"Super Treasure Hunts" started in 2013. Super-rare cars that are packaged exactly the same as the regular edition. Car has some differences (different paint job, rubber vs. plastic wheels, etc.) and has a tiny logo printed on it. You know what you're looking for when you've found it, because Mattel releases *no* information about them beforehand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2t2prQ7a6Q

And just to put it in perspective...both my boys buys Hot Wheel cars, but none of us know what's a variant and what one isn't. For all I know I bought one and opened it lol. I can afford .97 a lot easier

But, as previous posters elude to, the madness stops now.

This will be hard to answer, but let's say you're at TRU, you see three cars that are virtually the same on a peg. You think your son will like it, so you grab one. Some guy comes in beside you, sees what you got, says "Wow, that's a rare version of that one. I'll give you $500 cash right now for it." and pulls $500 out of his wallet.

Do you take him up on his offer and just buy the regular one on the peg (and, perhaps, $499 more worth of Hot Wheels stuff to make your sons' day?), or keep the one you've got?

Quote: UncleBob

This will be hard to answer, but let's say you're at TRU, you see three cars that are virtually the same on a peg. You think your son will like it, so you grab one. Some guy comes in beside you, sees what you got, says "Wow, that's a rare version of that one. I'll give you $500 cash right now for it." and pulls $500 out of his wallet.

Do you take him up on his offer and just buy the regular one on the peg (and, perhaps, $499 more worth of Hot Wheels stuff to make your sons' day?), or keep the one you've got?

Take the offer
My "son " in this scenario would likely want a bunch more stuff and that gives him more.

Quote: UncleBob

This will be hard to answer, but let's say you're at TRU, you see three cars that are virtually the same on a peg. You think your son will like it, so you grab one. Some guy comes in beside you, sees what you got, says "Wow, that's a rare version of that one. I'll give you $500 cash right now for it." and pulls $500 out of his wallet.

Do you take him up on his offer and just buy the regular one on the peg (and, perhaps, $499 more worth of Hot Wheels stuff to make your sons' day?), or keep the one you've got?

That would depend. What's the normal selling price for it on auction sites? I'd tell him I'll consider your offer, and if it sells for $700, I'd kindly tell the guy no.

I'd take the $500, and check to make sure the bills are real before handing over the car.